General TO WHOM WAS THE GREAT COMMISSION GIVEN

[LeeB]

To Whom Was The Great Commission Given?​

Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 applied only to the apostles and that we are no longer under obligation to take the gospel to the whole world. I would like to make a rather detailed study of this matter.

As we study the Great Commission in Matthew and Mark, the context shows that these commands were indeed directed to the apostles.

"Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, 'Go into all the world ...'" (Mark 16:14-15).

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore ...'" (Matthew 28:16-19).

He also told them: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

It was the purpose of Jesus to have twelve witnesses whom He called apostles. So we read: "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection. ... And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:21,22,26).

A witness can testify to what he has seen, heard or touched. This was the basis of John's teaching: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:1-4).

The twelve apostles were the witnesses of the resurrection. Although Paul saw Jesus on the way to Damascus, he acknowledges that the twelve were the witnesses. In his sermon at Antioch of Pisidia he says: "But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people" (Acts 13:30,31). Peter explains further: "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:40-42).

At first some of the apostles doubted (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:14). Thomas was among them. He was not present one evening for the meeting when Jesus came to them (John 20:19,20,24). The other disciples told him of Jesus' appearance. "But he said to them, 'Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). He was asking for the evidence of sight and touch.

The apostles were assembled again a week later. This time Thomas was there. Jesus, knowing in His divine wisdom what Thomas had said, told him: "'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'" (John 20:27,28).

Jesus said men must believe the gospel in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). Paul said that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to the believer (Romans 1:16). Paul said that the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection and ascension of Christ attested by faithful witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus said that we are to become believers by the words of these chosen men: "I do not pray for these alone [the apostles], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one is Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20,21). We are converted by faith in that gospel looking forward to salvation which was made known by the apostles.

We can have a blessing the apostles could never have. Thomas, after seeing the risen Lord, said: "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28). How precious to each of us are the following words of Jesus: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

Those of us who are saints have read what these Apostles said and did, then with the spirit and power of the Father through Jesus were taught the truth.

When we accept the evidence of the chosen witnesses we are blessed according to the promise of Christ. We are to be believers in the written word. "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30,31).

We have learned what the gospel is. Men are to be converted and saved by that gospel. The gospel was to be preached by the apostles. Their witness of the resurrection is to be believed. A great blessing is ours when we accept the written word.

This gospel was never to be changed. We read: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-9).

I want to emphasize one thing in the gospel. Jesus said after He arose from the dead: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). By the power of the Holy Spirit Paul said that Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). Jesus saves those who obey (Hebrews 5:9). We are not to go beyond the things that are written (1 Corinthians 4:6; 2 John 9).

Finally we want to go back to the Great Commission. We have learned that the gospel was given to the apostles. The message they proclaimed is never to be altered. It is only by their word that men become disciples of Christ being baptized into the name of the Son. These baptized believers are to receive further instruction: "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). What had Jesus commanded the apostles? Among other things He commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole creation! So this command of Jesus to the apostles is ongoing today through the words in scripture; remember John 17; "I do not pray for these alone [the apostles], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word:”

The Holy Spirit of the FATHER is the power that can teach the truth of the gospel to those the FATHER calls. The Holy Spirit of the FATHER is the Elijah to come.

Matthew 17:11

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

John the Baptist was a type of Elijah the prophet who came in spirit and power; this Spirit was of the FATHER as was the power. No man will glory, only the FATHER will glory. John never restored anything, did no miracles and preached no gospel , John was to prepare a people who would follow Jesus.

This is John the Baptist prepared the way of the first advent.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is the Elijah to come before the second advent.

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

In each case the spirit and power of Elijah was not of a man named Elijah but was the spirit of the FATHER.

John 1:19-22

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Paul by the power of the Holy Spirit said to Timothy: "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).

After the command, Jesus also gave a promise: "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The Great Commission, originally given to the apostles, is to echo through the ages until the end of time. The power of the Almighty God through Jesus Christ is the teacher today and uses the written testimony of the now dead Apostles, the witnesses, in that teaching. Men who think they can teach are usurping the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 Paul and Apollos could preach until blue in the face unless God opened the ears to hear their message.

Now we live in what is near to the time of the end of this age. Circumstances and people have changed to be what Jesus, the prophets and Apostles warned about. It is like the days of Noah. The people have their minds seared with a hot iron and despise the gospel message. Certain ungodly men have crept in unaware and have corrupted and perverted the message of the gospel resulting in many false gospels that hold the place of the majority in this evil world. Much truth has been lost and needs restored. We are not to cast pearls before swine or give what is holy unto dogs. Among ourselves, that is the saints, we can share with each other the things we receive by inspiration through the spirit of the FATHER through Jesus. This is how the sheep are fed today. It is as John said:

1 John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Spiritual understanding of the truth of the FATHER always comes from the FATHER through Jesus to us. Even when saints “teach” each other the understanding is made possible by divine inspiration. What John wrote above is the same thing Jesus told us:

John 14:26-

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.



John 15:26

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:



John 16:7

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

This is proof that Jesus was not glorified when raised from the dead because Jesus had to ascend to give the Spirit, he had to go away. John 7:39



John 16:13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

This comforter is the Elijah to come who will restore all things, unite their hearts to God and Gods to theirs, to testify of Jesus Christ and show us things to come. The comforter is the Holy Spirit of the FATHER the Elijah to come is here.

There is a prophecy in Ezekiel 34:8-11 God has bypassed men and has taken over complete control of the church. Gods Spirit through Christ is the only teacher and Jesus is the only leader. The church is taught by divine revelation just as the Prophets and Apostles were and we have no need that any man should teach us.

 

[LeeB]

What Ezekiel wrote was a prophecy, it was fulfilled after the death of the Apostle John. Peter confirmed that the prophets were speaking to us. Are we hearing them ?

 

[Outcast]

I really enjoyed this LeeB! I appreciate all the time and effort you put into your posts like this.

I know the word "teach" is a thorn in our sides on occasion, so I will revert back to being a gardener who "waters." But I certain am not going to change my name to Apollos....

1 Co 3:5–8 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

 

[LeeB]

I am working on an article about Gods elect saints and I must say that I am hesitant to post it here. It shows just how extremely rare a true Christian is in this current evil world. I have already posted other articles about the elect saints here and putting them together, that is the information contained in each, has the potential, GOD willing by HIS Elijah spirit, to reveal understanding about the extreme rarity of these elect.

 

[Outcast]

I am working on an article about Gods elect saints and I must say that I am hesitant to post it here. It shows just how extremely rare a true Christian is in this current evil world. I have already posted other articles about the elect saints here and putting them together, that is the information contained in each, has the potential, GOD willing by HIS Elijah spirit, to reveal understanding about the extreme rarity of these elect.

I look forward to it, brother.

 

[Bruce Lee]

LeeB, thanks for putting all those scriptures together.
Its a topic I am also interested in, especially coming out of the WT where the door to door preaching work is so emphasised.
I noticed the scriptures you have used from Mark are regarded as non-inspired, only appearing in the fifth century.

(There are some comments on that here: https://2001translation.org/read/mark#_16)

My current understanding is that at armageddon, people will be judged on their heart condition (sheep vs goats), not on their reaction/belief in the good news.

What do you think?

 

[LeeB]

If by Armageddon you mean the great white throne judgement, the same criteria is used for all people. This is the gospel, the message all must hear , live and understand to have salvation. From the millennium forward everyone will have the holy spirit. Just like saints today the unpardonable sin is a possibility. God and Magog commit this sin and are burned with fire. Then the books will be opened and judgment rendered. If all were not judged the same it would not be fair. Jesus must be the messiah for all people and his gospel is the saving message. With that said there must be mortal people who comprise the nations mentioned so that the kingdom grows/increases forever. After the millennium there is not alot written about events in any great detail. We will just have wait and see.

 

[Bruce Lee]

By Armageddon, I mean the soon to come judgement when Jesus returns, the transition from this system to the millennium.
When you refer to the great white throne judgement, do you mean the one described at Rev 20:11?
I understand that to be the judgement that happens at the end of the millennium.
I believe the dead referred to there are resurrected early in the millenium, but are still regarded as dead until they have been judged by the things they did during the millenium, based on the scrolls (Rev 20:12)
Part of that would be to hear and accept the gospel message.
By that stage the judgement would be fair.

When Jesus returns now however, it would be unfair to judge the nations based on the gospel, because they might not all of heard it.

Refer also
(John 12:47) But if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I came, not to judge the world, but to save the world.

(Matthew 10:42) And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I tell you truly, he will by no means lose his reward.”

 

[LeeB]

The people who repent during the tribulation live into the millennium and the holy spirit is given to them.
The same for those in the second resurrection. Yes, Revelation 20:11 is the white throne. As far as I know there are only two resurrections
the just and the unjust.

 

[Bruce Lee]

Thanks for that.
Yes, I also mean one resurrection, I am just saying its early on in the millenium.

I would like to explore what you say about the tribulation.

Do you mean what happens after the sign in sun, moon and stars? Luke 21:25, Matt 24:29, Rev 6:12?

As opposed to the times we are currently living in as described by Rev 6:1-8, Matt 24:4-14, 24:23-28 (verses 15 to 22 apply to the first century destruction of Jerusalem)? ie The last days.

In other words will people have a chance to repent at that short period of time when Jesus arrives as opposed to the long period called the last days?

 

[LeeB]

The rest of the dead do not live again until the thousand years are ended. Revelation 20:5 Matthew 24:14 the preaching of the gospel by an angel , Revelation 14:6 , Revelation 15:11 is the end of the tribulation. Matthew 24:15-21 The abomination of desolation in the holy of holies begins the tribulation. The tribulation period of less than 3 1/2 years is a time for people to by gold tried in the fire, repentance, this will produce the innumerable multitude, Revelation 7:14-15 others not in the innumerable multitude who repent live into the millennium. Revelation 9:20 , those who refuse to repent perish, Luke 13:3 . You may want to search the topical Bible discussion forum and find posts about all of this.

 

[Bruce Lee]

That sure sounds different to what I have heard before.
I will certainly research that forum.

I will be interested to see the logic behind resurrecting billions of people only at the end of the millenium. To me it would seem like things will be pretty quiet on earth until that time.

Did you know that there is some doubt that Rev 20:5a was in the original writings. It doesnt seem to fit in with the context and is probably why many bibles have it in parentheses.

The WT explains away the difficulty by saying that they are only recognised by Jehovah as alive when they are perfect at the end of the 1000 years.

Thanks for your patience, I am genuinely interested in finding Bible truth, even if it turns out to be different to what I expect or know.

 

[LeeB]

I know that my parents were not truly converted Christians . They had no idea of spiritual things, Yahweh was not calling and choosing them during their lives. I am not alone in this situation, perhaps you may know of many who have died that never new the truth that you and I know.
Are they lost forever ? Yahweh so loved the world that HE gave the world HIS son. Is that world only a segment of time ? All people who ever lived and died Yahweh has not forgotten, HE has not forgotten my parents and the unconverted loved ones of HIS elect. Yahweh has appointed a time called the second resurrection in which all these people will live again and for the very first time hear the message of the gospel. The agape of Yahweh is timeless and HIS mercy extends over all time for all people. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 We know that the human spirits of all people go back to Yahweh at death, they sleep are dormant. They all await a resurrection. We know there are two resurrections. Hebrews 9:27 All die yet all will face judgement, all. 2 Samuel 14:14 , Daniel 12:2 , Acts 24:15 , 2 Peter 3:9 , Matthew 18:14

 

[Outcast]

That sure sounds different to what I have heard before.
I will certainly research that forum.

I will be interested to see the logic behind resurrecting billions of people only at the end of the millenium. To me it would seem like things will be pretty quiet on earth until that time.

Did you know that there is some doubt that Rev 20:5a was in the original writings. It doesnt seem to fit in with the context and is probably why many bibles have it in parentheses.

The WT explains away the difficulty by saying that they are only recognised by Jehovah as alive when they are perfect at the end of the 1000 years.

Thanks for your patience, I am genuinely interested in finding Bible truth, even if it turns out to be different to what I expect or know.

Yes, it is one of the many occurrences of doctored texts.

Rev 20: 5.a - (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

When manuscripts are searched,

"The sentence 5.a is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts, including the Sinaitic and Syriac. About 40% of the 200 available manuscripts of Revelation do not have 5.a. 50% of the earliest manuscripts from 4th-13th centuries do not have it.

Even in the manuscripts where 5.a is found, it is present in highly inconsistent forms. In some scripts, it’s there only in the margins and not as part of the text. Some have it starting with a ‘But’ whereas others prefix it with an ‘And’. Some manuscripts that came much later have the ‘again’ whereas others do not

The Anchor Bible describes the manuscripts’ evidence against 5.a.

"Thus, when we verify the manuscripts, we find that this portion that says the rest of the dead did not rise to life until the end of the thousand years, was not really part of the original Bible. This would imply that someone inserted this part in later manuscripts with potentially ulterior motives."

Some history:

"believers since the first century expected the resurrection of all mankind to happen when Christ returns to establish his Kingdom."

When Emperor Constantine came to power, he declared Christianity as the official religion of his Empire and got the Christian Church merged with the Roman State. Gradually, in order to gain control over the masses, Rome started making claims that Christ's thousand-year Kingdom/Empire had been established right then by the Roman Empire itself.

But there was a problem with that claim. It faced a major glitch - If the Roman Empire was indeed Christ’s own kingdom, then why had the promised resurrection not happened then?

The answer to that question was the primary motive for inserting 20:5a into the text. In order to prove that the Roman Empire was indeed Christ’s Empire, the resurrection of the masses had to be delayed further away past the times of the Empire’s projected thousand-year reign.

So, potentially a scribe from the fourth or early-fifth century, under the influence of the Roman Empire, first added a comment in the margin, 'The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished.'"

I think the better view is to see if this insertion fails to match scripture elsewhere. Consider:

Da 12:1–2 At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Jn 5:25–29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Ac 24:14–15. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

1 Co 15:50–56 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

1 Th 4:13–18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

[LeeB]

Revelation 20:6 the first resurrection implies at least another to follow. Then the comment about the second death having no power over those in the first resurrection again showing that the second death is a possibility in another resurrection sometime after the first. The time factor involved is the issue. If there are no more resurrections why use the word first, why does it not say “the resurrection “ ? If the two groups are resurrected together in one event then there is only one resurrection. Even if we remove verse 5 , verse 6 still indicates at least one more resurrection to follow. John 5:28-29 Satan is to be sealed in a pit for 1000 years then released, Revelation 20:7 The problem is the 1000 years that are assumed to separate the two resurrections or that the two resurrections occur before the millennium, two separate groups but at the same time. Psalm 90:3-6 As with many prophecies the light is not bright enough to fully comprehend their meaning. The thing at issue here is time, that ironically is what is needed for more light to shine. Either way this has no effect whatsoever in our salvation as it it obviously a matter in dispute, Titus 3:9 , something that should not cause division among us.

 

[Bruce Lee]

Revelation 20:6 the first resurrection implies at least another to follow. Then the comment about the second death having no power over those in the first resurrection again showing that the second death is a possibility in another resurrection sometime after the first. The time factor involved is the issue. If there are no more resurrections why use the word first, why does it not say “the resurrection “ ? If the two groups are resurrected together in one event then there is only one resurrection. Even if we remove verse 5 , verse 6 still indicates at least one more resurrection to follow. John 5:28-29 Satan is to be sealed in a pit for 1000 years then released, Revelation 20:7 The problem is the 1000 years that are assumed to separate the two resurrections or that the two resurrections occur before the millennium, two separate groups but at the same time. Psalm 90:3-6 As with many prophecies the light is not bright enough to fully comprehend their meaning. The thing at issue here is time, that ironically is what is needed for more light to shine. Either way this has no effect whatsoever in our salvation as it it obviously a matter in dispute, Titus 3:9 , something that should not cause division among us.

I get what you are saying now.
When I read the whole chapter the problem with timing becomes evident.

The chapter itself seems to provide the answer to the 2 resurrections, the first one Rev 20:6 is of those that are priests and rulers, the next one is of those that are judged according to their deeds out of the scrolls - Rev 20:12-13.

If the kings and priests are resurrected at the beginning of the 1000 years, they would have to rule and teach the survivors of the end of this system. There could be billions of those.

At the end of the 1000 years, as you had previously said, those in the grave now are resurrected.

As a side point with those in the grave, how can they be judged on what they did in the past if they had paid for their sins, Rom 6:7

 

[Bruce Lee]

As Outcast said, however, that interpretation needs to conform with the rest of the scriptures. The above interpretation of Rev 20 doesn't seem to match with Dan 12:1-2

 

[LeeB]

Daniel 12:2 mentions no time just two groups. Scripture in prophecy is never going to accurately give time. This is true about the resurrections all through scripture, even in Revelation 20:5 . Events then become the clue, like 1 Thessalonians 3:13 the coming of Christ is with all the saints, not mentioning the wicked or unconverted. Jude 1:14 the return , the resurrection is only the saints . Deuteronomy 33:2 , Isaiah 26:21 , Daniel 7:10 , Psalm 50:4-5 in all scriptures about the second advent it is only the saints that are gathered.

 

[LeeB]

By the way I have begun a study about Revelation 20:5. I am examining all the ancient papyri about this verse. There are sites that do say the verse was altered but they are few. So far I have discovered that there is only one that does not include 5a all the rest do. When I am finished I will post the information.

 

[LeeB]

If everyone is resurrected when Christ returns and according to Isaiah 65:20 the life span of each generation is 100 years and there are ten generations to total 1000 years then; only the last generation will be alive at the great white throne, most the previous generations would have to be raised from the dead a second time which would violate the one resurrection per person rule. Those who are cursed will not be resurrected and only the first generation would contain those that survived the great tribulation and were not resurrected but lived into the millennium. In the millennium all people will have the Holy Spirit Jeremiah 31:34 , Joel 2:28